#171 - Tactile Processing and Tolerating Clothing Textures

If your child has tactile hypersensitivities, chances are they struggle with some area of getting dressed or wearing certain clothes. We’re going to talk specifically about how tactile processing affects getting dressed. Our bodies and brains are designed to filter out the unnecessary input of the feeling of wearing clothes, but for people who don’t have a well-modulated tactile system, they can’t filter it out. We break down the signs that your child may be struggling with tactile processing and then explain how this issue can present itself when it comes to getting dressed. We chat about how to know when to be flexible and when to address these challenges. Tuning in you’ll hear about heavy work, proprioceptive input, messy play, and other activities that you can do to help kids with tactile hypersensitivities, as well as specific activities and strategies for kids who struggle specifically with dressing!

Key Points From This Episode:

• How tactile processing affects getting dressed. 
• What hypersensitivity is and how it affects people.
• How children with tactile processing challenges may feel physical pain with certain textures. 
• Challenges caused by an unintegrated spinal Galant reflex. 
• Signs that your child struggles with tactile processing. 
• Some of the challenges children like this may face with getting dressed.
• The importance of addressing these challenges when they impact daily life or cause infants to skip developmental milestones.  
• When you need to address it and when you should be flexible and accommodating. 
• Activities to help your child with tactile processing and modulation, such as heavy work, proprioceptive input, and messy play. 
• Specific activities and strategies for kids who struggle with dressing. 
• Picking out their own clothes, wearing them inside out, and other tips.
• Vibration as a great strategy for desensitization and how the Wilbarger Brushing Protocol may help.
• The Listening Program ® by Advanced Brain Technologies
• Harkla course on primitive reflex integration. 

Be sure to check out the show notes on our blog at  Harkla.Co/Podcast.

Brought To You By Harkla

This podcast is brought to you by Harkla.  Our mission at Harkla is to help those with special needs live happy and healthy lives. We accomplish this through high-quality sensory products, child development courses, & The Harkla Sensory Club.

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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

#33 - The Power of Touch for the Tactile System
#7 - What is the Proprioceptive Sense? Plus Simple Strategies to Provide Proprioceptive Input!
SmartKnitKIDS
The Wilbarger Brushing Protocol
The Listening Program ® - Advanced Brain Technologies
Harkla Primitive Reflexes Digital Course
Harkla Resources — discount code “sensory”